Precious
by Pirate Thirteen
Summary: Thane and Rylie Shepard have a bundle of joy.


About a week after the crew of the Normandy SR2 destroyed the collectors base, Rylie and Thane decided to go on a dinner date. They planned to take turns and introduce each other to their culture's food. Rylie got to pick the restaurant first. She managed to find an authentic Indian cuisine restaurant on Illium where they happened to be porting next for supplies. Before solidifying their plans, they checked the menu first with Mordin to make sure not to accidentally poison Thane with the foreign foods. Once that was cleared out of the way, the Commander gave everyone the evening off. After dinner Rylie and Thane returned to the nearly empty Normandy and up to the captains quarters for a movie. There wasn't much of a chance to watch it all the way through before they were in bed, tangled up in the sheets. Though the following romantic cuddle and doze was cut short as Rylie took a very unromantic trip to the bathroom.

"Thane, I just had too much chingudi. I'm going to be fine," Rylie laughed a little as he led her pass the quiet mess hall to medical lab.

"It is food from your people, you shouldn't be reacting to it like that," Thane said

"I grew up eating garbage, I didn't get any good Indian food like that till my twenties," Rylie said. The doors of the medical lab opened and Dr. Chawkwas turned in her seat to look at the two as they entered.

"Rylie is very ill and..." Thane began but Rylie interrupted.

"I ate too much spicy food and my gut doesn't like it. Nothing is wrong," Rylie said.

"You don't look so well Shepard," Chakwas pulled out her omni tool and scanned Rylie.

"That's because I was exploding in the bathroom not even five minutes ago. You're lucky Thane let me wash my hands before pulling me out of there," Rylie said.

"You're pregnant," Chakwas said.

"What!" Rylie shouted.

"You cheated on me..." Thane let go of her hand.

"No! I didn't! That's impossible! I haven't been with anyone else in years!" Rylie shouted.

"Well the test can't lie. You're about a month pregnant," Chakwas held up her omnitool.

"I can't believe this," Thane spoke so very sadly.

"I swear to God, Thane! It's impossible! I can't be pregnant," Rylie said desperately.

"But you are," came Mordin's voice. They all turned to the medical lab doorway to see the proud salarian scientist, "My experiment worked. Followed you to the restaurant. Put a special drug in your food. Consisted of drell hormones and onions. Waited patiently for you to copulate with Thane."

"This is a joke. This has got to be a joke," Rylie said as Thane hugged her tightly, "You people are screwing with me."

"We're going to have a baby," Thane said happily.

"What the hell, no! I don't want this," Rylie said.

"You don't love me?" Thane said very, very sadly again. His big black eyes even appeared to become larger than usual.

"What? No! That's not what I mean! Love's got nothing to do with this! I mean...!" Rylie bent foreword as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach, "Holy shit," she winched hard.

"Wait a moment... you put that into her food only a few hours ago? My omni tool says she is a month along," Chakwas said.

"Fascinating," Mordin rubbed his chin.

"What's fascinating?" Rylie asked in pain.

"Commander your stomach!" Chakwas shouted. Rylie looked down as Thane let go of her. Her belly was inflating.

"The fetus is growing at an accelerated rate," Mordin said.

"Get it out of me! Get it out now!" Rylie felt another sharp pain in her belly, "Arh!"

"Emergency c-section!" Mordin grabbed Rylie by the hand and pulled her over to one of the medical beds. He shoved her down onto it, "Dr. Chakwas, scalpel please," Mordin held his hand out.

"Here you are Dr. Solus," Chakwas handed the tool to him.

"Woah, woah! Don't you need to give me painkillers or AAAHHH!" Rylie felt another sharp pain and grasped her stomach.

"Not enough time, will have no effect," Mordin began to use a marker to draw a dotted line on Rylie's bulging stomach.

"But you have the time to do that?" Rylie winched as another pain burned through her. Thane took hold of Rylie's hand.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. We'll have a beautiful baby girl," he squeezed her hand, "and we'll name her Jellybean."

"What? No!" Rylie shouted. She felt another sharp pain and looked down to see Mordin reach into her stomach, "What the hell! Use a glove!" Rylie shouted. Mordin suddenly pulled his hand back out and sucked on one of his bloodied fingers. Now she just felt sick, "UH! Why!"

"It bit me," Mordin said. Suddenly out of Rylie's stomach came the head of a bloody, elongated creature with fangs, "Facinating!" Mordin leaned in close to it alongside Chakwas. The creature screeched as it looked around the medical lab.

"She's so beautiful," Thane spoke breathlessly. He appeared as though he was about to start crying he was so happy. All Rylie could do was scream which spooked the creature. It screeched again and leaped up to cling to Mordin's face. He yelped, grabbed it with both hands and tried desperately to pull it off his face. From under her desk, Chakwas pulled out a flame thrower and aimed it at Mordin.

"Chakwas no! Are you out of your mind!" Rylie shouted but it was too late. Mordin was engulfed in flames, he let go of the creature and screamed painfully while he waved his arms around. Flames flung off his arms and around the medical lab, setting fire to the other beds and desk.

"I wonder where we will place the crib," Thane rubbed his chin as he thought about it.

"Thane cut it out and help Mordin! Put the fire out!" Rylie looked back towards Mordin. The creature was now standing on her chest staring her in the face.

"Mommy?" it grumbled. Rylie screamed again.

Suddenly Rylie sat up in bed, drenched in sweat. Thane still half asleep, softly spoke next to her,

"What's wrong, Siha?"

"What's wrong! You are going back to your cot in life support until I can make sure Mordin isn't drugging my food! I don't want any kids!" Rylie shouted. Thane opened his eyes wide and blinked rapidly for a moment.

"What?" He said. Rylie looked around the room quietly as she realized that she had only been dreaming. Then there was a sharp, burning pain in her gut with an unpleasantly loud gargle.

"Never mind, forget I said anything," Rylie said as got out of the bed and rushed off to the bathroom.


End file.
